Salunda, a leader in digitised solutions for safety-critical industries, is experiencing increased activity in the Americas deepwater market, seeing a growth in demand for its patended latch monitoring technologies among major operators in the region.
The company recently achieved a successful deployment of its Latch Hawk monitoring system on a semi-submersible rig. Salunda’s Latch Hawk system is a fingerboard monitoring solution that removes the need for manual spotters or camera surveillance. Integrated with the drilling control system on the rig, Latch Hawk provides real-time feedback on the status of fingerboard latches on the drilling derrick. It warns if latches are stuck or out of specification, acting as a critical safety barrier to DROPS incidents on drill floors and helping crews proactively address issues and avoid equipment failures. This deployment features the second-generation Latch Hawk system, which includes advancements such as novel sensor technology, enhanced shock and vibration resistance, a more robust casing design, cloud-based digital condition monitoring and an extended battery life of more than seven years.
Alan Finlay, Salunda chief executive, said, “As operators strive for safer and more efficient performance, technologies like Latch Hawk play a critical role in reducing risk and helping prevent accidents before they occur.
“This latest deployment is part of a broader rollout across the region, which highlights the positive reception our technology continues to receive. This is a clear demonstration of how Latch Hawk is enabling crews to work more confidently, safely and with greater situational awareness. Consequently, operators in the region have observed a decrease in incidents involving fingerboards."